Euronews

Drawn against the Champions League holders Bayern Munich might have rattled Manchester United manager David Moyes but worse was to follow.

After the draw in Nyon, Switzerland it was revealed hat-trick hero from the win over Olympiakos, Robin Van Persie has been ruled out of the quarter-finals with a knee injury.

Representatives of the eight clubs gave their reactions to the draw and Bayern Munich remain cautious.

“I think you cannot be happy with a draw in this round involving top teams but rather you have to see that Manchester United, even if they are not doing so well in the league at the moment, are still one of the best European teams,” said Bayern Munich Board member Andreas Jung.

Manchester United Club Secretary John Alexander looked forward to a great night at Old Trafford.

“I think there are tough teams all round in the draw. All eight sides are of the highest quality and all doing terrifically well in their divisions but to pick out the champions, what a fantastic tie for Old Trafford,” he said.

Borussia Dortmund against Real Madrid. You might expect a quiet confidence from the Spanish giants. Diplomacy it seems comes first at this stage.

“Well we’re talking about quarter-finals. We played against them four times last season and we know they are very strong and I know that this season Bundesliga, the performance hasn’t been so, so good but they’re very competitive,” opined Real Madrid director Emilo Butragueno.

Chelsea and Paris Saint Germain have big money backers who demand success – the London club has already won the competition and Paris is almost home for them.

“The teams that were in the draw, it was always going to be a difficult tie. Paris is close to home so I think taking everything into account they’ve got some fantastic individual players, good team,” explained Chelsea Chief Executive Ron Gourlay.

It’s 17 years since Atletico Madrid reached the quarter-finals and they’ve been thrown in against rivals for the La Liga Barcelona-either club could make it a double winning season.

“Yes first were are very happy to have the possibility to play the quarter-finals with these teams and in this case it’s very important for us to play against Barcelona,” enthused Atletico Madrid General Manager Clemente Villaverde.

The first legs of the tie will be played on April 1 and 2 followed by the second-leg clashes scheduled for April 8 and 9.